Download Cooking Methods

Dry & Moist Heat
 Dry heat cooking methods are those that to not rely on
any added liquid to complete the cooking process.
 While there are different temperatures and techniques
there are generalizations that we can follow.
 refers to the cooking method that requires cooking in
an enclosed space with dry heat.
 In conventional ovens, stagnant dry heat surrounds
the baked-good cooking it evenly (hopefully) from all
sides.
 In convection ovens, dry heat is circulated around the
baked good with a fan; the baked-good is again cooked
evenly from all sides but here it is cooked quicker and
often far more precisely than a conventional oven can.
 Can range from 200F to 500F
 While roasting today is identical to baking in it’s use of
a closed oven and method of dry heat, the term is
typical used to refer to cooking meats or vegetables
uncovered in the oven.
 Like baking, roasting can caramelize and brown the
crust or outside of an ingredient. This cooking method
lends it’s name to red meats cooked in this fashion: the
roast.
 Can be between 250F upwards of 450F
 Like baking and roasting, broiling and grilling are two
more methods that are very similar to each other
 Unlike baking or roasting, broiling and grilling use
direct heat, often an open flame to cook something
hot and fast.
 While grilling is typically considered to contain a
flame on the bottom and broil an element on the top,
either can refer to the use of a flame or using a heat
source on the top or bottom – usually ranging
depending on region.
 Frying refers to any form of cooking utilizing fat. And
while it may seem strange that frying –
 Deep frying – is a dry cooking method, because it
doesn’t rely on water or steam,
 There are two general categories of Frying: pan frying
and deep frying.
 Pan frying can be narrowed down even further into
four specific techniques: pan frying, sautéing, sweating
and cooking on a griddle or saute pan
 Deep Frying is a cooking technique involving the
complete submersing of food into hot fat, typically oil.
 If the temperature of the fat/oil is too low, the food
will absorb oil, resulting in a greasy product. If the
temperature of the oil is too high, the product will
brown or burn before cooking through.
 Pan Frying, unlike deep frying, only uses a small
amount of fat for lubricating the pan (or no fat for
certain products like bacon which creates its own fat).
 Pan frying allows for darker browning but also allows
more moister to escape the food, as compared to deep
frying.
 In addition to the varying size in goods cooking with
sautéing versus pan frying, sautéing also typically uses
a higher temperature to aid in browning and keeping
vegetables crisp by locking moisture in.
 Often medium-high to high heat for short periods of
time
 Sweating is similar to pan frying and sautéing in that a
small amount of fat is
 Instead of a high heat or quick cooking process,
sweating uses much lower heat and thus requires more
time.
 Like the name suggests, sweating pulls moisture from
the vegetables being cooked. Sweating is also used
when you want to avoid browning an ingredient.
 The double boiler is the most delicate of the dry heat
cooking methods and is used to prepare custards,
certain sauces, temper chocolate and cooking delicate
ingredients.
 While this method does use water (simmering water in
a pot below a bowl) the water and its steam never
comes in contact with the food
 This is the only method here which uses two steps
(and another moist-heat cooking method.
 Blanch requires boiling an item then quickly plunging
that item in ice water to stop the cooking.
 This method is used to partially cook an ingredient or
to retain the shape and keep vegetables and fruit crisp.
 Boiling is the most intense – and often most
destructive – of the moist-heat cooking methods.
 Boiling creates very large, vigorous bubbles – which
indicates a temperature of 100C/212°F.
 Because of the intense cooking process boiling creates,
this is usually used only for hardy ingredients.
 Braising is one of the moist-heat cooking methods
which stipulates both the temperature and amount of
liquid used.
 Braising is typically used for slow cooking meats, by
using a small amount of liquid, but the method can be
used for vegetables and other foods.
 Braising can be done on the stove or in the oven.
 Low-medium temp. Small amount of liquid for long
periods of time. Usually covered and in a deep vessel
 Poaching is one of the most gentle cooking methods
and is particularly useful for infusing fruits, vegetables
and meats (particularly fish) with flavors.
 Scalding is another very gentle cooking processes, even
more gentle than poaching.
 Liquid brought to the scalded point is heated to 150°F.
 This will not produce any moving bubbles but small
bubbles may appear to cling to the sides of the pot.
 For opaque liquids like milk, you may notice a little
steam beginning to appear and the liquid may appear
to move.
 Simmering is one of the most common moist-heat
methods as it is ideal for making stocks, soups,
cooking many ingredients and reducing certain
sauces.
 Simmering is ideal in dishes that will be cooked for a
long period of time as it produces small, gentle
bubbles.
 Steaming is probably the most delicate cooking
method and is often used to cook delicate ingredients
or in applications where the shape of the food needs to
be retained.